TV Time and Taylor

Fall 2011 TV is in full swing, and Mr. TiVo is completely overwhelmed. Luckily I have had this week "off" of school, and have had some good TV watching time. I am very much looking forward to tomorrow night - a black bean burger from Tavern on the Tracks, TV time, and not working or thinking about work for at least 48 hours.

The rest of my weekend is far more exciting. 5K on Saturday Morning. I am challenging myself to how far I can run - yesterday I did 1.5 miles (with a few good uphills that I NEVER thought I would be able to run), with a 1 mile walk break, and finished the last half mile with a jog. I stopped the first leg of running because I got stopped at a light, and couldn't get up the momentum when I was able to go again. I am hoping with a 5K course and not having to stop, I will be able to make it further. We shall see.

Then off to Atlanta for an afternoon of shopping with Betsy and Sehar. Then dinner by Chef Matt (yay!) Particularly excited about his creme brulee. Matt, I know you're reading... Sunday is girl day! We are making my favorite breakfast recipe - sausage pinwheels (see below), catching up on shows, and then getting ready for the Taylor Swift concert. We are hoping to get her to meet us at Taco Mac before the show - it's worth a shot right?? Twitter is awesome. Then a few days of training for work, and back to Charlotte. I am looking forward to spending some quality time with some good friends.

Sausage pinwheels are way too easy.

1 roll reduced fat sausage
1/4 bag reduced fat sharp cheddar cheese (optional - adjust amounts to your taste)
2 cans reduced fat crescent rolls

1 - Remove the crescent roll dough from the cans, but do not separate rolls. On top of a piece of plastic wrap or aluminum foil, pinch the triangles together and form a long rectangle, gently pulling dough as needed.
2 - Spread the sausage in an thin layer over the dough. Sprinkle some cheese on top.
3 - Roll the dough lengthwise to form a long roll.
4 - Using a serrated knife, cut dough into 1/2 inch thick slices. You can freeze roll for 10 - 15 minutes beforehand to make slicing easier. Place on baking sheet.
5 - Bake according to directions on crescent roll package, or until the sausage is cooked through and then enjoy! These keep well in the fridge and can be reheated in the toaster oven or microwave.

Back to fall TV. Some of my old favorites are back: Grey's, Private Practice, Desperate Housewives (how sad is it that this is the last season?!), The Middle, Modern Family, Sister Wives, Glee, Gossip Girl... the list could go on and on...

And it does, with new shows. I am trying to determine if they are worth watching. I watched the first episode of Suburgatory tonight - it reminds me of Mean Girls, but the TV version. I will keep watching! Still undecided on Two Broke Girls, and the endearing-ness of Zooey Deschanel is keeping me engaged in New Girl. Up All Night with Christina Applegate is super cute - I feel like if I ever have kids, that will be my life.

Has anyone seen the show Revenge? I have heard good things from other bloggers. I have the first two episodes taped and it looks really good. I like Emily VanCamp from her Everwood days. Remember the WB?!

What are you all doing this weekend?? Who is so glad that tomorrow is Friday?!

These girls are. Just hangin' out with Taylor. See ya again on Sunday!!!

Friday's thoughts

As I write this post, I am on a wi-fi-less train, cruising through North Carolina. For a train ticket about the price of gas, and the 3 hours that I get to spend blogging, reading, and/or doing schoolwork, this is definitely the way to travel. I admit, I had some anxiety about taking the train by myself. Part of it was caused by the “unknown” factor, but luckily there are “train attendents” everywhere that tell you what to do. I have only ever been on Amtrak twice before: once with my elementary school, traveling from Detroit to Chicago and once with my friend Casey, traveling from Raleigh to Baltimore. Now that I am on the train and have a power outlet right at my seat, I feel fine and anxiety-free! 3 hours to myself with really nothing else to do? This is a foreign concept unless I am asleep! My only complaint (and I would hope this changes soon as it is 2011) is that this train does not have wi-fi. I would definitely pay a small fee to have Internet access.

So far it’s already been an adventure. Before the train even took off, I heard some girl fighting with her boo over how “he’s making her take this train” and “he won’t even come pick her up” and “he’s pullin’ some sketchy ass shit.” Oh, people and the conversations that they are willing to have in public. Thank goodness she shut up. (Edit approximately 20 minutes later: here she goes again – she is riding all the way to G’boro, just to see him, and he is going to go out with his friends. Homegirl is NOT happy.) A happier story, we just pulled up to the Salisbury train station. It is really cute and historical; someone is even having a wedding outside, adding to the charm! It is decorated with Christmas lights and all set up. Even spotted the bride and groom taking pictures.

In other news, one of my best friends Betsy started a blog today! I am so excited for her… Blogging is my favorite hobby, and I am glad we will be able to share our experiences with each other. Be on the lookout for some guest blogging from Betsy. Until then, let’s all welcome Betsy to blog-land. Stop by and say hi to her!!!

For those of you that don’t know “our story,” we went to the same college and had very similar majors. We graduated a year and a half apart, but never crossed paths at NCSU! Anyway, I started my big girl job after college and people kept calling me “Betsy junior,” and I kept asking myself “Who is this Betsy girl and why do people keep calling me this?” Keep in mind, Betsy and I had never met each other before, only talked a few times on Office Communicator about random work topics. Turns out Betsy and I look a lot alike, and basically have the same personality. We became fast friends and bonded over… everything: our love of NC, our love of food, our love of boys, our love of bad TV, the list goes on and on.

Betsy and I really got close (read: attached at the hip) when I lived in Atlanta for a year. When I found out I was moving to NC, we got a lot of comments from concerned friends and family members: “Are you guys gonna be ok? How are you gonna handle the separation?” Well so far, we are surviving (thank goodness for gchat and BBM!) and regularly scheduled visits that we can look forward to. We are fortunate to work on the same team, just in different locations, so for training and such, we will be reunited. We are also excited to be going to Raleigh for NCSU recruiting again this year! This will be our third year going. Time flies. And now I sound old.

I suppose I should get back to working on my schoolwork. Might as well use these 3 hours for something productive, so I have more time for exercise and TV next week! And I am certainly going to need a lot of TV time with all of the new shows starting. Mr. TiVo is feeling a bit overwhelmed, but with each other’s support, I know we will get through it. I can’t really say which TV show I am most excited for – but I am pretty pumped up about the ABC shows starting back up again, but it is slightly bittersweet with this being Desperate Housewives’ last season. Also looking forward to old favorites ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ and ‘Private Practice,’ and I plan to check out the new ABC drama ‘Revenge.’ The previews make it look really good, but we shall see if it passes the “Katie test.”

Ok for real this time… school, focus, now!